United States-based artiste wants more local airplay

by

Pablo Bently, a United States-based dancehall artiste, has made a clarion call for disc jockeys to play more songs created by Jamaicans living abroad on local radio.

Bently, whose latest single is Battlefield, said his song has been receiving steady rotation on radio stations in several Caribbean countries, but the support in Jamaica has been lacklustre.

"It has been a challenge to get on Jamaican radio while living overseas, but I think progress is being made now," said Bentley, who migrated to the United States some years ago.

Bentley is convinced that Battlefield is a hit in the making and that with more rotation on local radio, he will be well on his way.

"Most Jamaican artistes are looking to work in the US and I already live here, so with that out of the way the only challenge now is to just nab that hit and after that everything will be on autopilot because the US is one of the biggest markets for Jamaican music. You can't get into that market without Jamaica's support," Bentley said.

Road to success

His manager I-Mar is also asking for the fair treatment of overseas-based artistes. I-Mar argued that the road to success for foreign acts is twice as hard.

"We might not be living in Jamaica at present, but we are still Jamaicans so I want the music industry to rally round us same way as they do their local acts. Talent is talent, and that should be the only method of passing judgement on who deserves an opportunity. Same like how you don't watch a man from Jamaica pocket, don't watch ours because we live abroad. Just give us the strength to contribute to the music," I-Mar said.

"Dem always a seh foreign acts can't buss but a nuh truth... It is just the system require too much from us because dem hear bout foreign," the manager added.